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Kampot Bus Rebellion
(formerly Province 6), Yarphei |casus=Rebellion by CKWS Revolutionaries |territory= |result=Yarphese victory |combatant1= |combatant2= |commander1= Lưu Yăng Nhung |commander2=Chea Ngorn |strength1=130,000 |strength2=likely a few thousand |casualties1= Estimated: 2,010 |casualties2= Estimated: 318 confirmed, 122 missing, 705 imprisoned |notes= }}The Kampot Bus Rebellion was a major uprising in the Yarphese city of Kampot on 5 October 1998 until 9 October 1998 in Kampot, Grand Yarphese Republic. The action was taken in protest to VLA communist rule, which was believed to be only a copy of the Khmer Rouge which was chased out only a few years before Yarphese invasion. Background In 1998, Khmer people in Kampot were unconfident that Yarphese rule was an acceptable replacement to the Khmer Rouge, which had been defeated three years earlier. They believed that the Vietnamese Liberation Army was doing little to develop the city of Kampot and nearby Khmer areas. Some Khmers formed the Chongchach Kampucheak Wimutte Sankeate (CKWS), Kampot Anti-Communist Revolutionary Society. Due to VLA restrictions, formation was extremely difficult. The first leaders were Chea Ngorn and his wife Chea Mad. Induction In order to be inducted into the society, one had to go through an induction ceremony which was often carried out entirely under supervision of VLA members. There were three steps in the induction process. The first step was to identify a member, which usually carried out in a public market. One wishing to identify a member would often use a signal involving placing his or her three fingers on his or her hip. If a member found that person to be worthy of membership, he or she would return the signal. Those two people would arrange a time to carry out an induction ceremony. The second step involved the candidate coming to the member's house, which usually occurred around lunch time. Due to Yarphese laws, a Vietnamese Liberation Army member was sometimes required to monitor conversations. Occasionally VLA members sympathized with CKWS, being members of Province 6, 5th Division, 12th Force. The inductor would bring up a such conversation in order to ask the following questions, which are encoded to replace the VLA with France to ensure maximum secrecy: "What were the Khmer Areas like before the French colonization?" Expected answer: "The Khmer areas were prosperous with ports such as Kep and Prey Nokor, there was a vast empire, with its religion, its own currency, it's own customs, it's own unique language and writing system, and its own people." "What did the French bring to Yarphei?" "The French brought nothing but misery. They tossed the Khmer areas into despair as they tried to implant their own culture and ideologies. Furthermore, they put Khmers back several years and enslaved them." "What was the only way out?" "To adhere to the policies of the VLA and become a revolutionary, fighting for a cause that would bring freedom and prosperity to Cambodia." After these questions were done, the inductor would find two inductees which would be brought to the headquarters of the army of Province 6. They would be given certain tests such as having to fire a bullet at what was thought to be a person or jump into a supposedly hot flame. When the inductee passed the tests, he or she was allowed contact with five other people in the society. Plans The stated purpose of the organization was to promote act of violence and peace in order to force the removal of VLA members from Kampot. They stage several protests, at first peaceful. Soon, CKWS members began more violent acts such as throwing rocks and fistfights with VLA members, resulting in the death of three VLA officers on separate occasions. The third one, Vietnamese immigrant Văn Sinh Khoa was beaten with a club and killed on 2 October 1998. His death led the VLA to send troops to monitor the city of Kampot, with a guard of 10,000 Thais and Vietnamese, large compared to the population of the town. However, tensions only worsened. Chea Ngorn, living in Sihanoukville, called a gathering of members in the forest to organize a plan against the VLA. Initial Attacks At 13:00 on 5 October, the first attacks ensued. Armed with makeshift daggers, five members of CKWS hijacked a public bus and ordered the passengers to disembark immediately. Taking control of the bus, they drove it through the city streets before jumping out, allowing the bus to crash into the headquarters of the VLA headquarters of Province 6, 5th Division, 3rd Force. There were four VLA injuries in the building. A total of eight similar attacks occurred around the same time in and around Kampot before the VLA was able to resume control. In total, there were two casualties, both VLA members, thirty-five VLA injuries, and six civilian injuries. The plan was carried out well, as hundreds of CKWS members flocked to a market formerly used for planning purposes, forcing others out. Others raided damaged VLA buildings for advanced guns and bombs. The members set up a "capital" there for a sovereign state they called the "Independent Khmer Republic." They considered the republic official when the city hall was destroyed by bombings completely, most VLA members were chased out, and the remaining CKWS troops were stationed as snipers along roads in order to prevent travel between Yarphei and the Khmer Republic. Declaration of War Facing disadvantages in ground combat, the Vietnamese Liberation Army opted instead to send air support in order to reclaim the territory. Meanwhile, the Khmer Republic was slowly gaining influence in lands around Kampot, encouraging farmers to join the revolution. Yarphei declared war on the CKWS on 7 October at 6:00. The VLA deployed high-technology aircraft to the area, but it was difficult to penetrate deep trenches dug by the Kampotians. It was thought that the only possible way to regain control was through a mass charge. Early morning, 9 October, a force of 120,000 VLA troops stormed the city and poured into the Khmer trenches. A battle occurred throughout the city, but after losing half its force as prisoners as war, Chea Ngorn issued a formal surrender. The Khmer Republic was annexed by the Vietnamese Liberation Army and the supporters forced into prison camps. Aftermath Tensions remained small and isolated within Kampot until 1999. The CKWS existed but far weaker. Meanwhile, many Kampotian buildings were left shattered while much of the Kampotian work force was gone. The VLA ordered that prisoners accused of less severe crimes were to face community service within Kampot in order to rebuild the city, before being relocated to an undisclosed village in Thai Yarphei. The city was rebuilt by August 2000. Only a few months later, Trầng Chúp Long, premier of Yarphei, issued a change in policies that would make Buddhism the official religion of Yarphei, and changing policies from communism to the free market. Tensions calmed down completely at that point in time, and the CKWS disbanded, its members feeling it had accomplished and outlived its purpose. Foreign Reaction Due to the short length of the war, foreign reaction took place mostly after the war. The United States of America and United Kingdom both expressed criticism of harsh crackdown on the movement. However, the People's Republic of China praised the action as a heroic victory. The United States, East Asian Federation, and People's Republic of China sent aid to help repair the city of Kampot, which finished in August 2001. The city's population later exploded to about 203,000. Category:Wars Category:Yarphei